Nature & Environment

US Civil War Cannon Balls Found On South Carolina Beach After Hurricane Matthew

Elaine Hannah
First Posted: Oct 12, 2016 04:10 AM EDT

Hurricane Matthew hit the southeastern United States last weekend and it uncovered 16 civil war cannon balls on the South Carolina beach beside leaving behind fatalities and damages. A beachgoer who first saw the cannon balls knew that the metal objects lying on the sand are capable of exploding.

According to the Guardian, the cannonballs were found at Folly Beach on Sunday in South Carolina. A bomb squad was called to a South Carolina beach to examine the cannonballs. On the other hand, they could not reach the area right away because of the rising tide. Once the sea level lowered, they would keep the area safe yet the residents might hear a small explosion.

Former Folly Beach mayor Richard Beck, who first examined the cannonballs said that he knew they were cannonballs. He further said that one of the cannonballs has a very distinct hole in it that went directly into. He added that during the Civil war, they placed fuses in cannonballs for them to explode when they desired them to.

The beach where the cannonballs were found is near Charleston. This area has a touched of history dating back during the Civil War. It was on this beach that the Union troops prepared to attack the nearby Fort Morris. Also, the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, according to Smithsonian.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Matthew made many people trapped in their homes and cars during the heavy rains. The rescuers picked them from their rooftops and reached to people who were stuck on floodwaters. Hurricane Matthew killed almost 900 people in Haiti, 18 in U.S. and half of them from North Carolina. Most of the fatalities were swept by raging floodwaters.

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